This covers nearly all uses of modal verbs in one hit, so provides students with a high level speaking practice intended to improve students' accuracy rephrasing expressions using modal verbs.

1. Copy one sheet per pair of students, and cut the sheets up into A and B.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the worksheets.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students read their sentences to their partner, who rephrases them with a sentence using a modal verb. Students have the answers in brackets so can correct each other. Students swap.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

1. Copy one sheet per pair of students, and cut the sheets up into A and B.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the worksheets.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students read their sentences to their partner, who rephrases them with a sentence using a modal verb. Students have the answers in brackets so can correct each other. Students swap.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

A guided discovery grammar sheet

Skill:

Writing

Time:

25 minutes

Stage:

Discovery of grammatical rules

Work:

Students work individually

By now students will have a firm grasp of modal verbs in a large range of contexts. Why not put the icing on the cake with this demanding discovery sheet which forces students to confront the differences between the full range of modal verbs and their concepts.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Decide how 'guided' you want the grammar discovery to be. For weak classes go through the entire sheet together with the students, eliciting rules and principles on the board as you go. When necessary, provide the students with the individual 'down time' in order to do the tasks. For medium-ability groups, allow students to go through the sheet individually or in groups and 'intervene' at the end of each section A,B,C etc. Finally for stronger ability groups, get students to work in small groups and elicit the grammatical rules and principles at the end of the sheet orally or by getting students to write on the board.

3. Whichever your approach, allow the students the necessary time to complete the individual sections and ask for feedback for each section.

4. Give students a warning when their time limit is about to expire and then insist on pens down and heads up.

5. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers individually or in groups (which could be scored like a quiz).

6. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the discovery and offer language input.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Decide how 'guided' you want the grammar discovery to be. For weak classes go through the entire sheet together with the students, eliciting rules and principles on the board as you go. When necessary, provide the students with the individual 'down time' in order to do the tasks. For medium-ability groups, allow students to go through the sheet individually or in groups and 'intervene' at the end of each section A,B,C etc. Finally for stronger ability groups, get students to work in small groups and elicit the grammatical rules and principles at the end of the sheet orally or by getting students to write on the board.

3. Whichever your approach, allow the students the necessary time to complete the individual sections and ask for feedback for each section.

4. Give students a warning when their time limit is about to expire and then insist on pens down and heads up.

5. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers individually or in groups (which could be scored like a quiz).

6. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the discovery and offer language input.

Type:

A pronunciation activity

Skill:

Pronunciation

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Pronunciation practice

Work:

Students work in pairs then as a whole class

Allow your higher level learners to get to grips with the pronunciation of modal verb forms in connected speech with this card sorting activity. Learners match the written form of ten sentences with the phonetic script and practise repeating the phrases naturally.

1. Copy one handout for each group of 2-4 learners. Cut up the cards and randomise them. Distribute the cards.

2. With the learners working in pairs or in small groups, have them match the cards together. Encourage them to practise pronouncing the fixed expressions at a natural speed, using the IPA symbols to help them.

3. Get students' attentions as a whole group and drill the words/phrases with all students and with individual students. Model the correct pronunciation and get students to repeat multiple times.

4. Review the pronunciation at the end of the lesson or next time to see if the students can remember how to pronounce the chunks of language appropriately.

1. Copy one handout for each group of 2-4 learners. Cut up the cards and randomise them. Distribute the cards.

2. With the learners working in pairs or in small groups, have them match the cards together. Encourage them to practise pronouncing the fixed expressions at a natural speed, using the IPA symbols to help them.

3. Get students' attentions as a whole group and drill the words/phrases with all students and with individual students. Model the correct pronunciation and get students to repeat multiple times.

4. Review the pronunciation at the end of the lesson or next time to see if the students can remember how to pronounce the chunks of language appropriately.

Type:

A pronunciation activity

Skill:

Pronunciation

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Pronunciation practice

Work:

Students work in pairs then as a whole class

For a challenging activity on pronouncing modal verb forms, look no further than this pair work pronunciation handout. Learners convert phonetic forms into normal written English and practise repeating them naturally.

1. Copy one handout for each learner. Distribute the handouts one between two for better pair work (hand out the remaining worksheets later).

2. Focus the learners on the instructions. The learners try to write the written form of the sentences written using the phonetic script. Monitor the learners while they do this, providing assistance and models with specific sounds or words.

3. Get students' attentions as a whole group and drill the sentences with all and some individual students. Model the correct pronunciation and get students to repeat multiple times.

4. Review the pronunciation at the end of the lesson or next time to see if the students can remember how to pronounce the chunks of language appropriately.

1. Copy one handout for each learner. Distribute the handouts one between two for better pair work (hand out the remaining worksheets later).

2. Focus the learners on the instructions. The learners try to write the written form of the sentences written using the phonetic script. Monitor the learners while they do this, providing assistance and models with specific sounds or words.

3. Get students' attentions as a whole group and drill the sentences with all and some individual students. Model the correct pronunciation and get students to repeat multiple times.

4. Review the pronunciation at the end of the lesson or next time to see if the students can remember how to pronounce the chunks of language appropriately.